Tape Clone doesn't run sometimes (seemingly random)

I am curious: why are you using Windows Scheduler to clone your tapes instead of using NetWorker to perform the process for you?

There is an integrated process for cloning in NetWorker that will do a better job cloning your savesets. It is likely that your Windows scheduled cloning job is bumping into the work that NetWorker is doing.

Check your event viewer on the NetWorker server to see if there are any messages there about the scheduled job not being able to start.

Mark Bellows

Windows Task Scheduler kicks off the clone script. The clone script (just a batch file) then gathers all appropriate savesets and calls the appropriate networker commands to run the clone.

However, I did not understand why we had a custom script... I had assumed after taking on my backup admin role that Networker simply did not have the ability to run backup clones properly...

If you are runnign the clone through the script, what is the content of the script such as:

1. what are the savesets to be cloned

2. Are all the savesets from the same client, what is the destination storage node used for cloning

3.Did you try ot run the commands from the script manually, if so any error if networker throws?

4. If you could share the commands used for cloning or error messages any, that will help to understand the problem further.

Mridul singh

This is the script. It does work! It's just that maybe the random not-cloning event is related to it.

In addition, I apologize but I am really not familiar with how to get Networker to do the clone job that this script performs.

@ECHO ON & SETLOCAL

:: Set required variables

set WEEKDAY=Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri

set RIO_BACKUP_POOL=RIOericton Backup

set RIO_CLONE_POOL=RIOericton Clone

set RIO_SAVE_SET_LIST=%TEMP%\RIO_SAVE_SET_LIST

set RIO_NSRINPUT=%TEMP%\RIO_NSRINPUT

set RIO_NSROUTPUT=%TEMP%\RIO_NSROUTPUT

set RIO_NSROUTPUT2=%TEMP%\RIO_NSROUTPUT2

FOR /F %%g IN ("%DATE%") DO set TODAY=%%g

:: Delete any temporary files that may be left from last time.

CALL :s_cleanup

:: Set the nsradmin commands required to check save group status.

echo . type: NSR Group ; clone pool: RIOericton Clone > %RIO_NSRINPUT%

echo show status >> %RIO_NSRINPUT%

echo print >> %RIO_NSRINPUT%

:: Check the save group status and wait 15min if any save groups are not idle.

:: Delete output files before each check to ensure accurate results.

:s_backup_status

DEL %RIO_NSROUTPUT%

DEL %RIO_NSROUTPUT2%

CALL nsradmin -i %RIO_NSRINPUT% | find "status:" > %RIO_NSROUTPUT%

FOR /F "tokens=2" %%g IN (%RIO_NSROUTPUT%) DO @echo %%g >> %RIO_NSROUTPUT2%

FOR /F "delims=;" %%g IN (%RIO_NSROUTPUT2%) DO (IF %%g NEQ idle GOTO :s_wait)

GOTO :s_clone

:s_wait

sleep 900

GOTO s_backup_status

:: Clone all complete save sets created since 12:01am today.

:s_clone

CALL mminfo -r ssid -q "pool=%RIO_BACKUP_POOL%,!incomplete,savetime>today" > "%RIO_SAVE_SET_LIST%"

CALL nsrclone -v -b "%RIO_CLONE_POOL%" -S -f "%RIO_SAVE_SET_LIST%"

:: Wait 5 minutes after clones are complete before trying to eject the tape.

sleep 300

:: On weekdays, withdraw the tape and mark it as full after the cloning is complete.

:: On weekends, leave the tape as is. It needs to be written to again.

FOR %%g IN (%WEEKDAY%) DO (IF %%g EQU %TODAY% CALL :s_weekday %%g)

GOTO :s_cleanup

:s_weekday

FOR /F %%g IN ('mminfo -r volume -q "savetime>today,pool=%RIO_CLONE_POOL%"') DO set VOLUME=%%g

CALL nsrjb -u %VOLUME%

CALL nsrjb -w %VOLUME%

CALL nsrmm -y -o full %VOLUME%

GOTO :s_cleanup

:: Delete all temporary files.

:s_cleanup

DEL %RIO_SAVE_SET_LIST%

DEL %RIO_NSRINPUT%

DEL %RIO_NSROUTPUT%

DEL %RIO_NSROUTPUT2%

ENDLOCAL

I think no one suggested that script does not work, but rather that at failed to execute which is not something rare in Windows world.  Depending on you server version you can achieve the same from NW server uyilizing NSR clone resource now.  This should be explained in Admin guide which is available for download from PowerLink, but the procedure is rather self-explainatory so you should give it a try.

OK. I'll go back to the admin guide. It's just been a confusing year without training on this product :/

Thanks to everyone who replied!